Coastal Click Photography

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

This week kicked my b***y! We got back from Alaska last week, and I immediately jumped into a 5 day conference. I spent this whole week at the First There First Care Conference, photographing EMT's, firefighters, and medical directors from around the country who gathered together to learn the newest techniques, best practices, and greatest tips so they can excel in their roles.
I have to say that I'm so impressed with the commitment these first responders put into learning and growing! They bring in incredible speakers and exhibitors so they get the best training possible.
This year's venue was new, as it's typically held at the Hard Rock, but they moved to the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center this year. WOW! They just did a huge renovation and it's super pretty.
But, dang, it's BIG. They really had outgrown the Hard Rock. The move to the convention center was really crucial to their growth. It was a LOT of ground to cover though.
Each day there were different things happening. They had conference tracks in Mobile Integrated Health, Resuscitation, Advanced burn support, EMS, and more. They had competitions in Nursing, ALS, and Honor guard. They had a cadaver lab, airway workshops, an escape room, and simulation labs for hands on learning. They had state meetings and committee meetings for a variety of groups. They had a great exhibit hall with all the state of the ar2 things they might need. And they capped it off with an after party that was pirates and sirens themed. I had my photobooth set up there and it was a hit!
On just the first day I walked 7.3 miles and then the miles continued throughout the week. My total for the 4 days was 24.3 miles!! It was a LOT of walking and a LOT of photos! Huge thanks to my 2nd photographer, JP, for helping me capture all the magic!
I'm not gonna lie, my favorite part was all the therapy dogs that I got to pet. 🤣
For real though, I'm so thankful that our first responders have this kind of training so they can take the best possible care of us when we need them the most.
Congrats to the FTFC committee on a job well done!

05/31/2026

Ahhhh summer in Palm Beach....🌴🌴🌴🌞🌞🌞
I've heard that things slow down, but it's been a pretty crazy month still, with 26 events photographed. School just got out on Friday. So maybe that will make the traffic better and motivate some people to go out of town 🤣.
My wife and I, along with my in-laws, just got back from a fantastic cruise to Alaska. Thanks to my photography team for capturing all the events that happened while I was gone!
Anyone want to guess how many photos a professional photographer takes on a 10 day vacation? We spent a couple days in Seattle and then boarded the Norwegian Encore to go to juno, ketchikan, skagway, Glacier bay, and vancouver. Then when we got back to Seattle we took a day trip up to Mount Saint Helens. It was just so beautiful over on that coast, and vastly different from our tropical beaches here!
I was very hesitant to take one of my big, heavy work cameras and lenses. So I got a Sony RX100 vII that I figured would be a fun option for when I'm "off duty" but still want great photos that aren't cell phone pics. I loved it! I haven't had a chance to go through the photos on my computer yet but they looked great on the screen!
I ended up taking 5,289 photos. I have had no time to cull that down, but I'm hoping to end up with closer to 2000 photos. Wish me luck! Here's a sneak peek of some of my faves.

Now that vacation is over, my photo team and I will be in full-on planning mode! We have some venue visits to do, client gifts to deliver, and team training to kick off. No rest for the weary! If you are planning events for the coming season, now is the time to get on my schedule!
Happy Summer friends!!

05/10/2026

I kind of wish I had kept track now, but I have photographed WELL over 1,000 events since I started my photography business back in 2011. I started out doing pageant portraits, weddings, family sessions, etc. After a few years I started photographing more and more community events. That's where I really found my space.

Did you know Palm Beach County has over 6,000 nonprofits!?

Here's some interesting info:
There are over 6,000 registered non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County. A more detailed breakdown shows 16,314 total nonprofit and 501(c) organizations in the county, with combined assets of over $31 billion. The area has a high density of nonprofits and foundations (around 290) focused on various sectors, including human services and healthcare.
Key Data Points:
Total Registered Organizations: > 6,000 to 16,314
Total Assets: ~ $31.9 billion
Total Income: ~ $14.5 billion
Key Sectors: The county has a high concentration of charitable organizations, particularly in West Palm Beach, covering social services, education, and health.
Foundations: Approximately 290 foundations are based in Palm Beach with $2.8 billion in assets.

Events are a BIG business here and all these big galas and luncheons provide much-needed income to all kinds of small businesses, like me!

You might look at a big, grand gala and think, "wow what a waste that they spent all this money on a party"! But I encourage you to re-frame your perspective. Think of all the people employed by that event (and these are just a handful):
*All the staff at the venue: valet, servers, lighting and sound team, maintenance and cleanup teams, etc.
*Florists, sometimes with staffs of 5 or more
*Deejays, bands, or other musicians
*Event Planners
*Photographers
*Videographers
*Printing companies
*Cake or treat companies
*Entertainment companies, dancers, etc.
*Marketing and PR companies
*Event rental companies
*and the list goes on......

Events allow us ALL to earn wages so that we can then pay for things like groceries, mortgage, hair appointments, sports or dance lessons for kids, vet appointments, and all the other things we spend money on.

Sure, rich people could just dole out donations, and many do. However putting on a big event gives charities the chance to reach a greater audience, even new potential donors. It gives them the chance to highlight their work and raise more money from a new pool of donors. If they do a great job and they wow their attendees, that can be a real turning point for them.

Just remember that we are all connected in this amazing web of businesses. I am super thankful for all the events I have the privilege of photographing!

05/07/2026

I just wanted to share a friendly reminder that I filed for an official Trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last year. The mark was approved last year.

I started my photography business in 2011. In 2016 I changed the name to Coastal Click Photography. When I changed to this business name back in 2016, I filed for fictitious name protection with Sunbiz (Florida's department of state website). That was renewed in 2021 and will be renewed again later this year.

It's been very frustrating over the years to have random businesses use the name Coastal Click (and close derivatives of it). Especially when they fail to provide quality service to clients or their work sucks. There are currently several businesses that are using my name illegally. All of them have been or will be contacted.

When you are setting up a business, I encourage you to do due diligence and research names. I spent weeks trying to find the perfect name and I've spent years making sure I have a solid reputation as a photographer.

Friends, if you see a company using the name Coastal click, please report their business. Also let me know when you see this happening. For those of you using the name illegally, I'm not going to back down from forcing you to stop.

05/05/2026

I'm heading out this summer! In just 2 weeks my family and I are heading on a cruise to ALASKA! This is a bucket list trip that we've been planning to do for years! I can't wait to experience a whole new way of cruising. We typically do tropical islands so this will be a whole new adventure! How many photos do you think I'll take that week? I'm guessing somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000. LOL

I've got a few great events and conferences I'm photographing this summer too. I still have room on my schedule for more though! Big events are totally my jam! Now if I could just get my wife to pick up photography, we could make a vacation out of some of these! LOL

In June I'll be photographing the First There First Care Conference in Broward at the newly upgraded Broward County Convention Center. I'm excited to see this new space but I can foresee a LOT of steps that week!

Then I'm heading to Rochester, NY at the end of June to photograph Golf For COPS newest event....a golf tournament and gala at Oak Hill Country Club (where four PGA Championships, the Ryder Cup, three U.S. Opens, two U.S. Amateurs, the U.S. Senior Open, and two Senior PGA Championships have ben held!) I can't wait to see this course!

In July, I'll be with my friends from Juilliard again photographing their Summer Performing Arts Program in Windermere, FL. This will be my 4th year experiencing teens from around the globe who get unbelievable training from Juilliard professors and alumni. I'm always in awe of how talented these kids are.

If you have any events happening in July or August I would love to chat about photographing it!

04/30/2026

I can't believe it's already almost May!!! The last 4 months have been a bit of a blur. I have photographed so many incredible events! As summer approaches and things slow down, my amazing new assistant, Jessica, and I will be doing lots of planning, networking, and marketing.

I'm sure all my nonprofit friends will also be in full on planning mode as well! It's never too early to send me your event calendars, especially if you have multiple events throughout the year. And just a friendly reminder that I am licensed and insured. I have business licenses (tax receipts) for Palm Beach County and Martin County and I carry a 3 million dollar liability insurance policy year round, which most venues require now. I have a great team of photographers that work with me, so we can cover really big events too!

There are hundreds of photographers in our area- lots of newbies, lots of transplants from other areas, and a handful (like me) that have been around for decades. I know you have a lot of choices. Here's what I bring to the table:
~15 years of experience
~over 1000 events photographed
~36 years of residency in PBC, so chances are I will know people at your event
~I deliver robust and curated galleries of images that you can use over weeks and months
~I believe that the details matter. I take the time to fix a guest's hair, tell them when they have lipstick on their teeth, give them a quick posing tip, ask them to take off their nametags, and have them set their cocktail aside
~I can deliver gorgeous photos, no matter how challenging the lighting conditions are
~I'm outgoing and friendly
~I offer some great extras- a photobooth, event up lighting, some beautiful backdrops if you want a great photo spot for guests, a red carpet and stanchions, and a speaker and microphone for simple events that need a little boost

Let's make this summer sizzle!

04/07/2026

I would love to get some general public feedback about this topic....
If you have an event with 700 attendees, and you have:
• a welcome cocktail reception that lasts an hour
• a step and repeat or pretty backdrop area to capture guests as they arrive
• a silent auction
• a guest/keynote speaker
• entertainment
• a live auction
• you give out a handful of awards
• you have beautiful decor
• and the evening ends with music and dancing
The event lasts about 5 hours in total from arrival to the end of the event.
How many finished/edited photos would you want/expect to receive?

04/07/2026

I was thinking back to 2025 and it was pretty EPIC! I surpassed all my business goals and photographed so many unbelievable events! I worked with some of the top nonprofit organizations in our area and saw generosity that was just truly remarkable.

Some of the big things my team and I captured included:

~Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival....a full 7 days with 17 events including their grand tasting with 5,000 attendees
~Seven national conferences throughout the state of Florida
~A luncheon with 975 attendees
~7 events sold out at 720 attendees at Mar A Lago Club
~15 golf tournaments, all with record numbers of foursomes
~A 5k walk with 20,000 attendees for Making Strides of Broward County
~109 headshots in 2 days for a national company

And my work was published over 40 times throughout the year.

Keep in mind I'm a company of one, but I do have some great photographers that I bring on for big events. Overall what I learned is that I can do hard things!

Thanks for trusting Coastal Click Photography to capture all the important moments, big or small!

04/05/2026

This year I hired quite a few photographers to photograph events for me and with me. Typically they will either take photos on my SD cards or they use their own and then send me the photos online. I do all the culling and editing. It's been a tremendous help to have some good photographers on my team.

It's really been eye-opening as an artist, though. What I've learned is that people can have a great camera, but not a great eye for photography. One of the key things about having an eye for photography is shooting with intentionality. What does that mean? Intentional photography is the difference between taking pictures and creating images that actually mean something.

Sometimes I get images back from other photographers that have zero purpose and are just a waste of a photo. The sad part is that if they had waited an extra few seconds or moved a couple of feet to the right or the left, the photo could have been magical.

Here’s the truth: your camera is not the magic. Your decisions are.

When you shoot with intention, you’re asking yourself:
What story am I telling right now?
What emotion do I want someone to feel when they see this?
Why does this moment matter?

It shows up in the small choices:
You adjust your angle instead of shooting where you’re standing.
You wait half a second longer for the real smile.
You simplify the background instead of “fixing it later.”
You notice light instead of fighting it.

That’s intentionality.

And clients can feel it—even if they can’t explain it. It’s what turns a nice photo into one they can’t stop looking at. I might take a little longer to deliver photos, but clients are going to get beautiful, consistent photos that were taken for a purpose. You'll get photos that you fall in love with.